Rocky BatolBatol hungry for maiden ONE Championship win

Rocky Batolbatol

Considered as one of the promising Filipino MMA prospects three years ago, Rocky Batolbatol's luster slowly faded due to setbacks that have plagued him during his ONE Championship stint.

The Bacolod native lost his ONE FC debut back in November 2014, suffering a second-round submission loss to Martin Nguyen, and then followed that up with a first-round submission to Anthony Engelen back in February 2016.

A few months later, he would suffer a first round technical knockout loss in May that year to Christian Lee.

Hoping to end that skid, the 31-year old is scheduled to face Sunoto at the ONE: Conquest of Kings, which takes place at the GOR Kertajaya Arena in Surabaya, Indonesia on July 29.

Sharing his thoughts his upcoming match, Batolbatol says, "I am back! I am so excited to be back in action for ONE Championship, the Asian leader of martial arts and the premier MMA promotion in the region. Ever since my last fight, I did not stop training. It is truly an honor to showcase my talent and skills on a global stage like ONE Championship."

Rocky shares that he put additional emphasis on grappling to prepare for his Indonesian opponent, "I wanted to be comfortable anywhere the fight would go. That is why I focused on my wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for this fight. But of course, I did not neglect my striking, which is my bread-and-butter for years."

A former boxer, Rocky is seeking a knockout victory, which took place during his first five fights. He says, "I want a knockout. It has been a long time since the last time that I won by way of knockout. I am going in that cage with a statement to make. I can truly say that I am in the best shape of my career."

He adds, "I need this win. I can't lose forever. It feels like I've been losing forever already. But this is my chance to prove that there is a light at the end of (the) tunnel. No one stays on the losing side."

Even with the losses, Rocky remains unfazed. "I am continuing my career as an MMA fighter because I love this sport. It keeps me alive. Moreover, this is what I live for. Setbacks don't matter because I love what I do. That's why I do it." He concludes, "I am motiviated to win this fight. I want to secure my first win in ONE Championship. That's my goal. It keeps me focused and driven for this fight."

Updates on ONE: Conquest of Kings and other MMA events are found on www.onefc.com.

NCAA Season 93, set to kick off #NCAAStrong this Saturday

The NCAA head coaches for Season 93. All except Vergel Meneses are in this photo.

Basketball never stops in the Philippines, and fresh from the conclusion of the PBA's Commissioner's Cup, the 93rd season of the NCAA kicks off its basketball tournament this Saturday.

The Mall of Asia Arena will serve as host for the opener, with San Beda opening their title retention bid against hosts San Sebastian at 2pm, followed by the matchup between Mapua and Arellano at 4pm.

The league, which has a theme this season of "NCAA Strong @ Season 93," will also have its Opening Ceremonies at noon. All of these will be shown LIVE on S+A and its HD counterpart, with online streaming available through sports.abs-cbn.com.

Meanwhile, NCAA HS basketball will kick off its Season 93 on Sunday afternoon at Letran, with the Red Cubs against the Staglets at 1pm, followed by defending champions Red Robins against the Braves at 3pm. As for the rest of the league, the remaining teams, save for EAC, will be making their season on Tuesday. The Generals will be the last team to kick off their season, as they will be commence their campaign on July 14.

Among the new wrinkles the league is introducing this season is the NCAA On-Tour, which features basketball games being held on-campus. Arellano will be the first host school to pull off this feat, as they face San Sebastian both in HS and Collegiate basketball. Although there is limited in-venue seating at each location, there will be a LED screen that will be installed outside for those who could not get in. In addition, there will be a game day experience that would feature local school celebrities, Star Music talents, and MYX VJs.

ABS-CBN Sports coverage will remain generally unchanged as they begin their third season of a ten-year partnership with the NCAA. #TeamNCAA is bringing back its entire panel and play-by-play group, with the notable addition of Borgie Hermida, while the same can also be said for its cadre of courtside reporters, with GellieMae Obena joining in.

NCAA on S+A Coverage will be starting 12nn on Tuesdays and Fridays, while on Thursdays it will be at 4pm.

The Dude Perfect Show on KIX

The boys of Dude Perfect are best known for their YouTube dares and tricks.  Take for example this classic clip from a few years ago.



From YouTube, the group of Tyler "The Bearded Guy" Toney, Cody "The Tall Guy" Jones, Garrett "The Purple Hoser" Hilbert, the Cotton twins in Coby and Cory, and Panda will take those tricks and dares onto the small screen with The Dude Perfect Show!

Tyler is considered as the hyper-competitive captain, while Cody is the jokester with a lovable personality. Garrett is the dad of the group, while the twins handle the business and production side of Dude Perfect. Meanwhile, Panda climbs telephone poles and go karting.

In the televised version, the guys will have sharing their stunts with celebrity guest stars like Luke Bryan, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Aaron Rodgers. They also conduct amazing battle videos like Giant Basketball Arcade, Lawnmower Race, and Epic Snow Battle.

Go and catch these exciting set of cast and mind-blowing tricks on the premiere of The Dude Perfect Show this July 26, Wednesday at 9 pm! With new episodes every Wednesdays at 9 pm only on KIX!

KIX is available on (Cablelink Ch. 54, Cignal TV Ch. 264, Destiny Cable Ch. 63, Gsat Ch. 18, and SKY Cable Ch. 63.).  For more information, you can log on to KIX-TV.com or https://www.facebook.com/KIXAsia/.

Miguel Tanton Puts in a Birthday Performance to Remember for Kaya FC Makati

Miguel Tanton

Kaya FC Makati returned to their winning ways in style, triumphing over Stallion Laguna, 3-1, at the Biñan Football Stadium. A goal from Jordan Mintah, and a brace from birthday boy Miguel Tanton, did the damage for the visiting side.

"I'm happy with the win, we were able to get maximum points against Stallion," said head coach Noel Marcaida, before praising Tanton's standout performance.

"He deserves to be Man of the Match — a gift from himself, and a gift from the team for him as well. Today is a very special day for him."

On his 28th birthday, Tanton ensured it would be an event to remember, scoring an exquisite free kick on either side of half time to not only open his scoring account in the Philippines Football League, but also seal victory for his team.

"It's a great feeling you know. When it's your birthday [it's possible] you think too much. You think maybe you're either the best or the worst. I don't know if you could play in between, so luckily today I was on the positive end," he said after the game.

Asked if the occasion was the reason for his inspired performance, he responded, "Not quite. I wasn't really thinking, so I guess, that is being in the zone. I felt sharp."

With three points and a Man of the Match performance in the bag, he plans to spend the rest of the day with those closest to him.

"I'll probably have dinner with my mom and girlfriend. I don't know what else I'm going to do. Maybe I'll open a present hopefully, or two," he smiled.

The only hiccup for Kaya in the match was a Yannick Tuason consolation right before the final whistle, which denied the team a chance at a clean sheet. Although the goal was irrelevant to the result, it did not go unnoticed.

"We still have to work on finishing the game on a strong point, without conceding late in the game," emphasized Marcaida, who a few days ago, witnessed his side give up a 90th minute goal that salvaged a 2-2 draw for Global Cebu FC.

The result snaps a three-game winless run for Kaya FC Makati, who will now travel to Davao to face the Aguilas on July 9. Meanwhile, Stallion remain winless after nine matches.

Rain-Drenched Afternoon Ends in Frantic Kaya-Global Draw

A rain delay in the second half did little to dampen a dramatic finish between Kaya FC Makati and Global Cebu FC at the University of Makati. Despite two lead changes, the Philippines Football League matchup ended 2-2, with the final pair of goals coming in the final two minutes of regulation.
For majority of the game, our defense played well, but split seconds of switching off can cost you a game," said Kaya head coach Noel Marcaida. "Our players performed well. It's better to have one point rather than none in this game."


Global Cebu opened the scoring 25 minutes in, with Shu Sasaki firing in from close range to convert the visitor’s first chance on goal. Forward Sekou Sylla provided the killer ball, taking advantage of a momentary lapse in concentration from Kaya’s defense. The home side had been in control of the match prior to that point, and continued to edge possession until the end of the period.


Kaya’s response came immediately after half-time, with Miguel Tanton releasing Robert Mendy on the right flank. Mendy then rifled a low cross to Jordan Mintah, who tucked in the equalizer. The goal was met with boisterous celebrations, followed by a surge in momentum.


Around the hour mark, though, the heavens opened up and heavy rain started falling, quickly drenching the pitch, making for challenging conditions to play. The officials eventually called a halt to the action in the 73rd minute, allowing the weather to improve before restarting the match.


Kaya picked up where they left off when the game resumed, with Adam Reed testing Patrick Deyto within five minutes. Tanton then fired an acrobatic effort wide. And just as the game was looking to remain at 1-1, the contest took a dramatic turn.


Robert Mendy fired in the go ahead with a minute left in regulation — handing Kaya FC Makati what looked like a first win in three matches. Found by a great pass by Reed, the Senegalese forward smashed it past Deyto. But Sylla responded just a minute later to once again level the score. He pounced on a failed clearance to fire between the legs of Kaya’s goalkeeper. Despite a frantic finish, neither team could find the winner.


"Going back after the rain it was anybody's ball game. I think our players held them well and we were able to score. But just a split second of switching all costs to goal," said Marcaida.

"Well, what a game. We were disappointed only with the first goal of Kaya because it was very early in the second half. We were just sleeping. But at least in the end, in the last minute, we scored," said Global head coach Marjo Allado.


The result puts an end to a two-game losing skid for the hosts, who have six more games to play within the month of July. The draw means both clubs remain rooted in their positions in the standings, with Global in fourth (14 pts), and Kaya in fifth (11 pts). Kaya will play Stallion Laguna next on Wednesday, 4pm, at Biñan Stadium.

Kaya FC - Makati Looks to Kick off July with Win Over Global Cebu

From L-R: Robert Lopez Mendy, Noel Marcaida, Marjo Allado, Patrick Deyto

Kaya FC–Makati is all set for a busy July, with seven games scheduled within four weeks. The packed month starts tomorrow against Global-Cebu FC, in a match that will kickoff at 4pm, at the University of Makati.

“Going into the month of July, we’ll be having a very tight set of fixtures. We’ll be having two sets of three games in eight days, and our first game will be Global,” said head coach Noel Marcaida.

“It’s going to be a very, very hard month this July. But I think we are ready for it,” according to Kaya's leading scorer Robert Lopez Mendy. “We have been working very hard for this. We are going to take on the challenge.”

Kaya is coming off of back-to-back losses, the last one coming against Ceres-Negros FC at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod, a four-goal thriller that ended seemingly more one-sided than how the game was contested. It was a similar situation that took place against Global-Cebu back in May during their last meeting.

“In the Ceres and Global game, we might have lost 3-1 against those two teams, but sometimes the scoreline doesn’t really reflect how the match is being played,” said Marcaida. “It’s just a matter of us not getting breaks in the games. Going into the Global match, we’re looking forward to welcoming them in front of our home crowd.”

“Of course, my motivation will never change. I always want to win, I always want to be my best. But I think, we need to work more than what we were doing, and that’s what we are doing right now,” said Mendy. “The team is improving very well. If you watch the last game against Ceres, actually, even if we lost 3-1, we played good. But it was not good enough. I think for this coming game, we are ready for the challenge, and to win again in our home,” added the Senegalese forward.

After seven games, Global Cebu sits in third in the standings with 13 points, while Kaya is in fifth with 10. Global is coming from a bounce back win against Davao Aguilas, after losing to JPV Marikina in the match prior.

“For tomorrow we are 100% ready. We are hoping for good weather, so it will not affect the quality and intensity of the game, since we are playing on grass,” said Cebu head coach Marjo Allado.

“Of course tomorrow we are expecting a difficult game, but we are going to give our 100% as always, and we’re going to do everything we can to get a positive result tomorrow,” said Global goalkeeper Patrick Deyto.

ABS-CBN secures broadcast rights to AVC Asian Senior Women's Volleyball Championships

The LVPI Women's Volleyball Team

ABS-CBN has secured the exclusive local broadcasting rights for the 19th edition of the AVC Asian Senior Women's Championships, which the Philippines is hosting from August 9-17 this year.

Set to take place at the Alonte Arena and at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex, the matches will be the first time that the national women's team will be featured on primetime television outside of international club competitions.

The agreement was formally announced last June 30 by acting Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LVPI) president Peter Cayco. This partnership is considered to be a massive boost for the Philippines' bid in continuing to grow the sport here and in making its presence felt overseas.

Cayco thanked ABS-CBN for helping the federation grow the sport, adding "It's going to be a tough task ahead. We hope our team will make us proud as they compete in front of our countrymen."

Also gracing the press conference is noted volleyball patron Rep. Pia Cayetano. The former national team member says, "They should savor the experience because it is a golden opportunity to serve the country through volleyball."

She adds, "It's amazing. I can't forget the experience of representing the country. It is an experience you'll never forget. You'll learn a lot from that not only in the sport, but also in life in general." Cayetano had been part of the 1983 edition of the event in Fukuoka. Her brother, current Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, is heading the organizing committee for this year's tournament.

The team is bannered by Mika Reyes, Aby Marano, and Alyssa Valdez, and are placed into Pool A, alongside Kazakhstan and Hong Kong.

Pool B features China, Japan, and Australia, while Pool C has Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. Pool D contains Thailand, Chinese-Taipei, Iran, and the Maldives.

For further updates on the AVC Asian Senior Women's Volleyball Championship slated this coming August 9-17, check out ABS-CBN Sports for updates.